Reverse osmosis is utilized in membrane separation process whereby a feed stock containing a solute, which has molecular or colloidal dimensions which are significantly greater than the molecular dimensions of its solvent, is depleted of the solute by being contacted with the membrane at such pressure that the solvent permeates the membrane and the solute is retained. This results in a permeate fraction which is solute-depleted and a retentate fraction which is solute-enriched. In ultrafiltration, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, pressure in excess of the osmotic pressure can be used to force the solvent through the membrane against a concentration gradient of solute.
Poly(phenylene ether)s are a class of plastics having excellent water resistance, thermal resistance, and dimensional stability. They retain their mechanical strength in hot, and/or wet environments. Therefore they can be used for the fabrication of porous asymmetric membranes useful in various separation processes, including reverse osmosis. For example, poly(phenylene ether)s can be used in processes that require repeated cleaning with hot water or steam sterilization. Nonetheless, there remains a need for a porous asymmetric membrane having improved filtration properties, including materials that will improve selectivity without adversely affecting permeation flux.
The surface of membranes fabricated from hydrophobic polymers can be made hydrophilic by blending with a polymer additive that is hydrophilic. For example, polyethersulfone can be blended with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone), and the two polymers can be co-precipitated from solution to form a membrane. However, excess poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) must be washed off of the membrane with water, which results in a waste of valuable material, and which produces an aqueous waste comprising the excess poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone). Moreover the hydrophilic polymer can be leached out of the membrane in membrane treatment of aqueous streams. There remains a need for a polymer additive that provides a hydrophilic surface to porous asymmetric membranes fabricated from hydrophobic polymers. The polymer additive should have hydrophilic character and yet have an affinity for the hydrophobic polymer, so that the polymer additive is not extracted by washing during fabrication or in end-use operation of the membrane.